Soccer has become fertile ground for incredible docu-series. Here are the best soccer shows available for streaming right now.
The recently released All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur is the latest installment in the sport docu-series realm. While the show’s authenticity has divided opinions amongst fans, it’s entertainment factor is undeniable.
Jose Mourinho is pure box-office, but his show isn’t the only ‘special one’. Here are the top five soccer shows, ranked:
5. Take Us Home: Leeds United
Marcelo Bielsa is one of the most enigmatic and eccentric coaches in world soccer. Leeds United is amongst the most fascinating and well-supported clubs in England. Bielsa and Leeds has so far been the perfect marriage, with the Argentine guiding the club back to the Premier League last season, after a 16-year hiatus.
Take Us Home tells the story of Bielsa’s first season in England and how the man known as ‘El Loco’ captured the imagination of Yorkshire and turned around the fortunes of a club stuck in a downward spiral. Timing is very important with sports docu-series and the Take Us Home producers’ choice of subject material has to be commended. The 2018-19 Leeds season was packed with Beilsa drama, where amongst other things he was caught spying on opponents, instructed his team to purposely concede a goal and revealed all his tactics in a press conference. The show is just six episodes long, but it’s jam-packed with drama.
4. This is Football
Sports science is a well-established discipline focused on the physical and physiological side of the game. In recent times, there’s been a growing inquiry into the cultural and behavioral impact of sport. It’s a discipline The Athletic columnist Carl Anka calls ‘sports humanities’. This is Football is a show that would come under the sports humanities label.
Each episode of the show is focused on a single theme and has the feel of a mini-documentary. For example, the episode titled ‘Pride’ is focused on Iceland’s monumental qualification for the World Cup in 2018 and what the national team means to a country with a population of less than half a million. Similarly, the episode titled ‘Chance’ uses Bayern Munich’s Champions League final losses in 1999 and 2012 to examine the role luck plays in soccer. From casual fans to devout followers, there’s something here for everyone.
3. Sunderland Till I Die
Sunderland Till I Die is one of the first cult shows in soccer docu-series’ relatively short existence. Failure and ignominy are an integral part of the sport, but it’s something few have ventured to document. The series broke the notion that sports docu-series are just PR stunts. The show’s themes run much deeper than that.
Centered on Sunderland’s historic fall from grace from the heights of the Premier League to the lower pits of English soccer, the series feels like an experiment in masochism. The gradual evisceration of hope amongst the players, coaches and fans across the season makes for fascinating viewing. Sunderland Till I Die has already gone down in folklore and inspired the ‘We’ve Seen you Cry on Netflix’ chants from rival Newcastle fans when the two teams faced off in January 2018.
2. All or Nothing: Manchester City
The All or Nothing label’s foray into soccer started with Manchester City in 2017. It was a groundbreaking show and set the standard for the soccer docu-series to come. From transfer meetings to dressing room busts to training ground pranks, the access given to cameras was unprecedented for its times.
The producers of the show couldn’t have picked a better season to document. City won a record-breaking 100 points in the 2017-18 season and were imperious in their charge to the title. It was Pep Guardiola’s first league title in England and his pursuit for perfection makes for compelling viewing. All or Nothing provides an expansive insight into the running of a modern-day soccer club.
1. Six Dreams
Real Madrid and Barcelona’s monopoly over the La Liga is so large and overpowering that it becomes difficult to discern between the other eighteen teams in the league. Six Dreams puts the spotlight on six Spanish teams that too often remain hidden in the shadows
The show focuses on one person from each of these clubs and through them tells the story of their season through them. We follow Inaki Williams and Saul Niguez’s rise to stardom at Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid respectively, Mexican veteran Andres coming to the end of his career at Betis, the Eibar president fighting tooth and nail for her club, the Girona sporting director chasing success on a shoestring budget and a Sevilla manager’s personal battles.
The storytelling is smart and the narratives are seamlessly interwoven with each other and the absence of talking heads and voice-over narration are a welcome change. The show is masterfully shot and portrays Spain as beautifully as it does Spanish football.